No strangers to mystery baskets, unusual ingredients or opinionated judges, four previous Chopped winners are putting their reputations on the line one more time tomorrow night as they compete in the first round of the five-part tournament of Chopped Champions. While these chefs may be returning to familiar settings in the kitchen, they’ll face more pressure than ever as the stakes are now higher than they were in their last battles — on the line this time is a $50,000 prize and the ultimate Chopped title: Grand Champion. Since all of the competitors know what it takes to avoid the chopping block and are used to the sweet taste of victory, each must bring his or her A game if they want to be crowned a two-time champion and score a coveted seat in the grand finale.

Chefs Sylvain Harribey, Kenneth Johnson, Sean Scotese and Lish Steiling are the first four contestants to face off in the tournament, and they’re bringing with them memories of past battles and grand plans for showcasing their culinary chops once again. Flip through this photo gallery to find out more about the Chopped Champions contestants, and be sure to tune in Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 10pm/9c to find out which of these chefs has earned a place in the finale.

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This impressive-looking appetizer is a snap to make, thanks to a shortcut ingredient: refrigerated pizza dough.

Recipe of the Day: Cheesy Breakfast Cornbread Casserole Sidestep the bacon-and-eggs breakfast in favor of a hearty bake that doubles down on corn. It starts with a creamed corn base that's loaded with ham and kale, and it ends with a cheddar-packed cornbread topping that puffs and spreads as it bakes.

Warm up with this festive hot chocolate spiked with tequila and a pinch of chili powder.

This traditional Eastern European dessert features a chocolate and almond filling and a sugary streusel topping.